


Dreaming of Reality

by malecstele



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, First Kiss, First Meetings, Light Angst, M/M, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-15 04:27:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15404955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malecstele/pseuds/malecstele
Summary: In the days leading up to meeting your soulmate, you have ominous dreams about your mate. On his 23rd birthday, Alec has his dream. With barely any clues to go off of, Alec has figure out who his soulmate is





	Dreaming of Reality

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back! I hope you guys like this one! After this I will be posting either a Jurassic World AU, or that AU along with a high school AU. If I do the 2nd option I will be alternating each fic every week. Let me know in the comments which one you prefer!
> 
> I also want to thank my best friend (effravescent) for coming up with the concept and letting me write it with Malec. Love you!

Alec Lightwood loved his life, he had a great job, a supportive family and a nice apartment. He really couldn’t complain, there were definitely people out there who had it worse than him. However, he couldn’t help but sometimes feel a little lonely. All of his siblings, excluding Max who was still young, had found their soulmates. Most of his colleagues had all found theirs too. There were times where Alec thought to himself, “Screw it, I don’t need anyone in my life!” but there were also times where he wondered if there was something wrong with him, something that made it so he wasn’t compatible with someone. Alec knew that he didn’t need to be in a relationship to be happy, but that didn’t mean that being single sucked once in a while. He hated being the third, or rather fifth wheel when he went out with Jace and Izzy’s mates. Sure, he liked Clary and Simon but it wasn’t uncommon for him to feel like the outsider of the group. 

He had gone on several dates, but he had never felt any real connection with any of them, most of the time they just ended up being friends, the other times he never spoke to them ever again. He supposed that this was probably because he had grown up convinced that he was going to meet his soulmate by the time he turned eighteen and that this person would be his first and only love. Now, he was turning twenty-three in a couple of days and there was still no sign of his soulmate even existing. It’s rare but not impossible for someone to not have a mate, Alec just guessed he happened to be one of them. 

Sitting at his desk, he ran his fingers through his hair, sighing. He was so tired, he couldn’t sleep because he was stressing about everything. Things were a bit hectic at work at the moment, he worked as an editor and there was a huge influx of publications this past month, also, he knew that Izzy was planning a party for him. He just wanted a small get together, nothing too big, but he also didn’t want to hurt his sister’s feelings. Alec knew that she was doing this because she loved him. 

He tried focusing on the manuscript he was reading through, but he couldn’t focus. He just kept reading over the same sentences without catching any sort of meaning. 

“Hey, Alec.” Alec turned to see his supervisor, Underhill. “You feeling okay?”

Alec sighed, “Yeah, just tired.”

Underhill nodded, “You look like you just crawled out of a grave. You should go home early and get some rest.”

“I can’t, there’s so much to do!” he protested. He absolutely hated falling behind.

“I’ll have Raj take care of your stuff, don’t worry. I’d rather have you miss a few hours today than to be absent minded the entire day tomorrow.”

He had a point, Alec sighed, “Okay, thanks.”

Underhill smiled, “Anytime.”

 

Alec headed home via the subway. Normally he didn’t mind the noise, but today just wasn’t having it. It was cold outside, winter was coming and he didn’t have a warm enough jacket. Today really isn’t my day, he said to himself as he listened to a mother scolding her child about stealing a candy bar from a store. 

When Alec arrived in his apartment, he heated up some leftovers and watched some TV while he ate. As he was finishing up, he felt a sharp pain in his temples. He leaned against the counter, rubbing them. He must be even more tired than he thought. He went over to the medicine cabinet and took some painkillers. Then he undressed and curled up in bed, falling asleep almost instantly. 

A couple days had passed, and Alec somehow felt worse than he did when Underhill told him to take a break. He was more alert and didn’t feel like that he was going to fall asleep at any moment, but the headache had not gone away. Painkillers helped but as soon as they wore off Alec was back to square one. He had told Izzy about it and she suggested that maybe it was a sign that he was going to have his dream. 

In the days leading up to meeting your soulmate, you would have ominous dreams about your mate, in these dreams you never see your mate’s face, you have to figure out soulmate’s identity on your own. This was the tricky part, there was no way in knowing for sure who this person was unless you ask every single person you meet if they started having dreams on the same night you did. Sometimes the day before the first dream, a person would get headaches, which is why Izzy suggested it in the first place. Alec was quick to dismiss that idea; this headache was nonstop and lasted more than a day. Izzy told him to not be such a downer. 

As the work day came to a close, Underhill and a few of his coworkers, Meliorn and Raphael brought him a small cake, singing the birthday song rather terribly. Alec laughed and thanked them. He loved his job, everyone there was so nice and accepting. He really couldn’t ask for anything better. At the end of their little celebration, Meliorn told him that Izzy wanted to meet him at a place called Pandemonium. Alec couldn’t help but roll his eyes, of course she decided on having his party of one of the most popular places in New York.  
When he arrived home, he got changed to what he deemed was suitable for this occasion, quickly had something to eat before heading out. 

If Alec had to describe Pandemonium in one word, it would be loud. He wasn’t that uptight, he didn’t mind going out to a club for some drinks every once in a while, but this wasn’t one of those times. His headache wasn’t exactly helping the situation. 

Alec spotted his friends and family almost instantly. They all gave him huge hugs, Izzy being the first one, followed by Jace then Simon and Clary. Izzy introduced him to some of her friends that she invited as well. 

As Alec sat down, a man walked up to him and asked what drink he would like. He ordered a beer and within a minute, the man came back with one. “Wow,” he said, impressed. “This place is quite nice, with service this quick.”

Izzy smiled, “It’s pretty great here, but I know the owner, Magnus. He told me that he would tell his staff to give us a sort of VIP treatment.”

Alec raised his eyebrow, “How do you know the owner?”

“Well, you know Catarina, from the hospital?” Izzy was a forensic pathologist so she knew practically everyone in the NYPD and the hospital. 

Alec nodded.

“Well, she’s good friends with him, we’ve met a couple of times. He’s really nice…and handsome,” she winked. 

Alec chuckled, “No. Don’t you get started.”

She let out an exaggerated sigh, “You should consider yourself lucky, because I invited him tonight but he had to cancel last minute.”

Alec rolled his eyes, “Wow, Izzy.”

Izzy leaned to him, making their conversation more private. “Alec, I know how you feel lonely sometimes. I just want you to be happy. And don’t go, ‘I don’t need a relationship to be happy’ because I know that you’re happy with how your life is going. I just think that it will make you feel even better if you meet someone. I’m not saying you have to fall in love and get married, but just someone you can spend some time with, someone you actually like being around.”

Alec sighed, he knew that she was right. “I don’t know, Izzy. The last couple of dates I’ve been on have been more than disastrous.”

She put her hand on his shoulder, “I know, big brother, but I know that you’re going to find someone one day. Someone that will love you heart and soul.”

He smiled and pulled her into a hug, he loved her so much. No one could convince him that there was a better sister out there. 

 

Despite his apprehension about the party before, Alec ended up having a great time. He wasn’t really into dancing, so he just watched from their table, happily sipping at his beer. His headache was hardly even existent at this point, so that was a bonus.

When Raphael arrived, Alec’s mood got even better, Raphael wasn’t a fan of dancing either. They talked about work, pointed out some of the interesting dances people were doing, and just random miscellaneous things that Alec doubt he would remember later. 

As Raphael was handed another shot, he grinned, “Magnus has really outdone himself tonight.”

“You know him too?” 

“Yeah, I’ve known him my entire life. We’re practically family.” He paused, “How have you not met him?”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s friends with Izzy, Clary, Luke, even Meliorn.”

Alec felt rather embarrassed, he didn’t even recall ever hearing that name before tonight and it wasn’t as if that name was common. It’s not like his name was Jonathon or something. “So, everyone but me knows who he is?”

Raphael nodded, “Pretty much, but you’re not missing out on much. He can be a bit much at times,” Raphael laughed. The teasing tone in his voice reminded Alec of how he talked about his siblings to other people. 

Several hours of drinking and talking later, Alec was ready to go home. He said goodbye to all the people who showed up and gave Izzy and especially long hug. “Thank you,” he said with a big smile. “I had a lot of fun.”

Once he arrived home, he almost immediately went to bed, he was exhausted from the long day. He took off his shirt and pants and climbed into bed. Normally he would read a little before trying to sleep but between the tiredness and the faint headache he had, he knew it wouldn’t be the best idea. Also, he had work the next day and already had to wake up early. He needed to be rested. 

Too bad that sleep didn’t come with peaceful dreams. 

He was on a beach. It had to be dawn or something like that, it was still very dark and there was little light to be seen. He heard the peaceful sound of the waves crashing against the shore. It was very nice. Taking in his surroundings, he noticed that there was a rock structure behind him and the water was quite a few yards away. He took a few steps towards the sea, drawn to the water. That was when he heard it, the voice. He couldn’t make out what it was saying or even what it sounded like, it was a soothing whisper. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make anything out. 

The sound of rocks crumbling caught his attention. He turned to see the rock structure moving towards him. In order to get away, he started to walk briskly towards the ocean. The rocks were slowly following him. However, as soon as his feet touched the water, the rocks stopped. He sighed with relief. As he turned, he realized that there was someone now in front of him. 

He couldn’t make the person out. He could only tell that it was a tall, broad man. He tried to speak to him, but no words came out of his mouth. The man wasn’t reacting to him at all, Alec couldn’t even tell if he was looking at him. Alec reached out to touch him but as soon as he was about to, the world around him faded away into nothing. 

Alec shot up, breathing heavily. For a second, he didn’t know why his heart was beating so quickly, that was when he started to remember his dream. He felt his jaw drop, could this be what he thought it was? His heart was no longer pounding, but fluttering, like he was excited. He heard about that being one of the side effects of a soulmate dream. 

No longer feeling tired, he got out of bed and started pacing. He had to tell someone this! He grabbed his phone from the nightstand and brought up Izzy’s name. Before he pressed call he realized what time it was, three in the morning. He lowered his phone, he shouldn’t wake her up over this, it wasn’t that important. 

He stared at his phone for half an hour, desperately wanting to call her. Eventually he gave in, he sighed and pressed call. 

He waited a few moments before she answered, “Alec? Is everything alright? What’s wrong? Why are you calling in the middle of the night?”

Alec instantly felt guilty, “I’m sorry, I just really wanted to tell someone.”

“Tell someone what?”

He couldn’t contain a smile as he said, “I had my dream.”

He heard her gasp, “Really? What happened? Tell me everything!”

Alec explained the dream to her, as he told her, he began to wonder if it was just a random weird dream and he was overreacting. “Are soulmate dreams supposed to be like this? Or am I just making something out of nothing?” That was what he was afraid of, now that he thought that he actually had a soulmate, he was going to have his hopes destroyed. 

“I’m pretty sure it was one, Alec. It sounds just like one. This is so exciting! You have to tell me the moment you meet him!” 

“What if I meet him and don’t realize it’s him? Like what if he’s my barista when I get coffee? I can’t just ask every person I meet, ‘Hey, did you have a soulmate dream about a guy on the beach?’”  
Izzy laughed, “Don’t worry, big brother. Even if it takes several meetings before you realize, trust me when I say that you will figure it out.” 

Alec knew he was being irrational the next day as he studied every single man he came across, wondering if they were his soulmate. He kept telling himself that he was being stupid, the earliest he would meet his soulmate was three days after the initial dream. Still, Alec couldn’t help but imagine him, what he looked like, what he sounded like. Was he more serious or carefree? Did he like terrible puns? Alec sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to get himself focused on the task at hand. 

Underhill walked up to him, “Everything okay, Alec?”

“Yeah, it’s just,” he sighed. “I had my soulmate dream last night and…”

“You can’t get him out of your mind?” Underhill asked. “Don’t worry, I was the same way when I had my dream about Gary. Trust me, when you finally meet him, all your expectations will exceed.”

“But how will I know?” Alec asked. He didn’t know why he was so hung up on all of this. He’s never met anyone who had their soulmate dream and never actually met the said person. However, knowing his luck, it would happen to him. 

“You may not know at first, but if that’s the case, it doesn’t matter. Now that the world has finally got you two to meet, nothing is going to bring you apart.”

Alec smiled softly, “Thanks.”

“Anytime.”

 

That night, Alec had another dream. He was by the water again. The rocks closed in on him, bringing him into the surf of the ocean. This time he could feel the coldness of the water against his feet. The man was in front of him again. This time he reached out and cupped Alec’s cheek with his hand. He was so warm, and his touch was so comforting. As Alec reached out to touch him, he woke up. 

Alec pounded his fist into his pillow. His entire being ached to meet this man. He didn’t know how it was possible to crave the presence of someone he didn’t even know existed until the day before. He wanted to hold this man, he wanted this man to hold him! He groaned, glancing at the clock. At least it was the weekend, he could afford not having a good night’s sleep. The fact that it was the weekend was also terrible, he was less likely to meet someone than during the week. That meant there was a smaller chance of him meeting his soulmate over the next two days. 

Not knowing why, he felt vulnerable. His heart ached and he knew the only thing that could fix it was meeting the man. He sighed in frustration, he hated not even knowing his name! Just referring to him as “the man” or “my soulmate” in his head made him want to throw something! 

He laid back down, the sooner he fell asleep, the sooner morning will come. Once morning came, he would ask Izzy if she wanted to go out and hope that he ran into his mate then. The plan was far-fetched and he knew it, but he was getting desperate. He needed him. 

 

Even though he tried to evade from it, Izzy knew exactly what he was playing at. She didn’t mind, she knew first-hand how he felt. Except she was lucky and met her soulmate when she was eighteen, he thought begrudgingly.

Simon tagged along too. Alec liked Simon, despite not knowing a whole lot about some of his movie references. He was a good guy and just wanted to make Izzy happy. Anyone who wanted to make his sister happy was good in his book. 

“You got to let it happen naturally,” Simon was saying. “The world is going to draw you together. You don’t need to make the figuring out part more complicated by approaching every person you meet.”

Alec nodded. “I’m nervous,” he confessed. “What if he doesn’t like me?”

Izzy’s eyes widened with surprise, “Alec! Why would you even worry about such a thing! He’s your soulmate! Of course, he’s going to like you! In fact, not like, love!”

“Being soulmates just means we’re really compatible with one another. He may not like the way I talk, or my lifestyle…”

Izzy held onto his hand and squeezed it gently, “Relax, big brother. I know that you’re going to be fine. I know you’re nervous about all of this, but I promise, it’ll work out.”

There was something that he wanted to say to her, but he couldn’t. Deep down he knew it wasn’t true, but sometimes he wondered. 

“Alec?” she asked softly.

“What if there’s something wrong with me?” he said quietly so Simon couldn’t hear. As much as he considered Simon as a member of the family, he didn’t want him hearing this. “I’ve never even been kissed, Izzy, at least not a real one. Sometimes I wonder it there’s a reason for that.”

“Alec, there is nothing wrong with you,” she reassured. “There is no deadline for things to happen, you don’t have been kissed by a certain age, and you don’t have be in a relationship by a certain age! You’re amazing, Alec, and I wouldn’t just be saying that if I truly didn’t mean it!”

He smiled at her, he knew she was right. This whole situation was making him a lot more vulnerable than he usually was. “Thanks, Iz.”

 

The rest of the day was rather uneventful. Alec didn’t meet anyone, but he told himself that it was okay. Despite the initial disappointment of not meeting the man, Alec ended up having a great time with Izzy and Simon. Getting out did him some good. 

As he was getting ready to for bed, he felt refreshed. Now it was time to meet up with his soulmate in his dreams. 

 

Alec woke up in the morning, he didn’t have any dreams. Before he could panic he told himself that the dreams did eventually stop, even before meeting your soulmate. It meant nothing. However, as the days dragged on with no more dreams and no sign of his soulmate, Alec began to lose hope. 

When a week had passed, he was feeling truly dejected. He woke up, went to work, went home and hung around until it was time for bed. He didn’t really talk to anyone either, even his siblings. He hated it, but he was jealous of them. They were happy and in love, while he was just…alone. 

It had been officially a week and a half since his first dream when he heard someone at the door knocking. Before he could even get up to answer, Izzy came in with the key he had given her. When he saw her, he started to cry. All of the emotions he was feeling finally showed themselves. 

“Oh, Alec,” she said as she hugged him. “You’re okay, you’re okay.”

He sniffed, “How common is it for it to be this long?”

“Not common,” she said sadly. “Are you sure you haven’t met him and just didn’t realize?”

“I’m sure, like you said, I may not know exactly but I will feel a strong attraction towards him. I haven’t felt that with anyone.”

“He’s out there somewhere, and I’m sure he’s as upset about it as you are.”

Alec nodded, he hadn’t really thought about it that way before. The thought that his soulmate was as distraught as him made him hurt even more. 

“I’m going to give you the rest of the week to have some time to yourself, but after that I’m dragging you places, okay?”

He smiled softly, “Okay.” 

 

It was a three-day weekend. Once Sunday hit, Izzy declared that at the start of the new week. She and Jace arrived at his house first thing in the morning with pastries for breakfast. Then they went to the movies to see some crappy horror movie. Alec found himself laughing at how awful it was. 

The next day, Izzy called and said that she was having a dinner at her place and that she was inviting their family and friends. Alec knew that he had no choice but to say that he was coming.  
He arrived at four, by then his mom and Max were there. Alec knew that Robert wasn’t invited. Maryse hugged him, “How are you, my boy? You okay?” Alec talked to her briefly about what was going on earlier in the week. 

“I guess, I could be better but…” 

She nodded and kissed his forehead, “You’re going to find him.”

Alec smiled. He then turned his attention to Max, who wanted to show Alec his newest comic book. As Alec started looking over it with him, he heard more voices. He didn’t realize that more people had showed up. He could say hello later, by the sound of it, it was just Raphael and Catarina. They wouldn’t be offended it he didn’t greet them immediately.

Before Alec knew it, it was time for dinner. They all sat around the dining table. Everyone was there, his mom and siblings, Clary, Simon, Raphael, Catarina, Luke and there was an empty chair. Alec wondered whose it was.

As they started helping themselves to the lasagna, a man walked into the room. “Sorry I’m late! Something came up at Pandemonium!”

“Don’t worry about it,” Izzy said with a smile.

The man sat down in the empty chair. He must be Magnus, Alec didn’t know anyone else who hung out with his friends who also worked at that club. Alec had to stop himself from staring, the man was beautiful. He was muscular, and his shirt definitely complemented this factor. His makeup was also amazing, Alec was sure that most people would be jealous that they couldn’t do makeup as well as he did.

Izzy quickly named everyone around the table Magnus didn’t know. 

“So, you’re Alexander? The one Izzy threw the party for?”

“It’s Alec, and yeah. Thanks, the service was great.”

Magnus waved his hand, “It’s no big deal, I’m glad you had a good time.”

Dinner was pretty good, he listened to Catarina tell stories about some rowdy patient who, despite having a broken arm, claimed that everything was okay. Clary and Jace mentioned that they were thinking about moving to a bigger apartment. Everything was going well until Max asked, “Alec, did you ever meet your soulmate?”

“No,” Alec said quickly, wanting to dismiss the subject. 

“But it’s been two weeks,” Max pointed out. 

“Max,” Izzy warned gently. “Not now.”

“Oh,” Max looked down, clearly feeling guilty. “Sorry, Alec.”

“No, don’t worry, it’s okay.” He looked up to see everyone staring at him. No one besides his family (including Clary and Simon) knew about his dream. He felt heat rush to his cheeks, he no longer wanted to be there. He knew that his friends wouldn’t be judging him, but he couldn’t help but feel self-conscious. He stood up and excused himself, saying he needed some air. 

He walked out the front door and sat on the porch step. Tears started to stream down his cheeks. For the past few days he forced himself to not think about his soulmate, but now, the wound felt fresh again. 

The door opened. Without looking, he knew that it was Izzy. She stood behind him for a bit before sitting down next to him. That was when Alec realized that it wasn’t Izzy at all, instead it was Magnus.  
“Uh hi,” he said, trying to make it seem like he wasn’t currently crying. 

“Hi,” Magnus said smoothly. 

Awkward silence followed. Alec took a deep breath, “No offence, but I really want to be alone right now.” As he said that, more tears started to fall. 

“It’s been two weeks since your dream?” Magnus breathed.

Normally Alec would have scolded someone he didn’t know for being nosy, but he could tell that Magnus was genuinely concerned. “Yeah,” he nodded. “I guess it wasn’t real, that I just had hoped for it so much that I actually got myself into thinking I really had a soulmate.”

Magnus didn’t reply immediately, Alec wondered why. Eventually he heard Magnus take a deep breath, almost as if he was nervous, “In your dream…were you at a beach? And the rocks forced you to go into the water?”

Alec’s heart fluttered. How did Magnus know? “Yeah,” he said slowly.

“Did you dreams start the night of your birthday party at my club?” 

Alec’s jaw dropped, “It’s you?’

Magnus smiled at him, even though he was looking confident, Alec could tell there was uncertainty behind it. “I guess so.”

Alec let out a happy laugh, “Oh my god! I have a soulmate! And…and” he didn’t know what to say, words could not describe the glee he was feeling at this moment. “You’re so beautiful!” he blurted out.  
Magnus chuckled, “You’re not so bad looking yourself.” He slowly reached over and cupped Alec’s face. Alec leaned into the touch, it was the touch he’s been craving for so long. He felt Magnus brush away his tears, “Please don’t cry anymore,” he said softly.

Alec smiled and threw his arms around Magnus, burying his face in his shoulder. He smelled so good! “I’ve waited so long to meet you,” Alec whispered.

“Me too, but I think the wait was worth it.” 

Alec felt giddy when Magnus said this. “You’re more than I imagined.”

“And what did you imagine?” Magnus teased.

“Maybe I’ll tell you over dinner,” Alec smirked, pulling away.

“I would like that.” Magnus glanced at the door, “We should probably get back inside.”

“Yeah.” Alec was a bit torn here, he wanted to show off his soulmate but at the same time, he wanted to be alone with him. 

Magnus putting his hand on Alec’s cheek pulled Alec away from his thoughts, “Can I kiss you?”

Alec nodded. Magnus leaned towards him, Alec met him halfway. As they kissed his entire body felt complete, like he had finally found the part he had been missing for so long.

When Magnus pulled away, Alec found himself chasing after his lips. Magnus laughed and gave him a quick peck. “Come on, I want to show off my soulmate.”

When they went inside, they were greeted by quizzical stares, clearly Catarina or Raphael explained that Magnus had had his dream too. Everyone stared at them, silently asking them the answer.  
Alec smiled, and he knew that that said it all. They all started cheering and congratulating them. Izzy then brought out the dessert and Magnus moved his seat to sit next to Alec. The smile on his face was permanent, nothing would ever make it go away. 

After dessert, his mom left with Max, and Raphael and Catarina had to go since they had work the next day. Alec could tell that magnus was contemplating whether or not he should leave as well, when Simon said, “Let’s watch a movie!” When everyone agreed and started to go into the living room, Simon gave him a quick thumbs-up. Alec gave him a quick side-hug. 

Alec couldn’t really focus on the movie. Magnus had put his arm around him and Alec slowly curled up against him. Magnus kept looking down at him, almost as if he were making sure that Alec was still there. Alec smiled up at him, because he wasn’t going anywhere.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it!  
> Remember to #saveshadowhunters! There is a lot of information about the campaign on my tumblr (malecstele)


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